Step through a gate off a busy street in the centre of Kortrijk and the noise falls away. The béguinage is a tiny enclosed village of whitewashed houses, cobbled lanes and a small church, founded in the thirteenth century by Countess Joan of Constantinople for the beguines, lay women who lived a religious life without taking full vows. It is one of the Flemish béguinages that UNESCO listed together in 1998, and although it is small, it has a rare atmosphere of calm. A statue of the countess stands at the entrance.
Kortrijk is a city with a big story. In 1302, on the fields just outside the walls, an army of Flemish townsmen and craftsmen defeated the flower of French knighthood in the Battle of the Golden Spurs, named after the spurs collected from fallen knights and hung in a church. The date is still celebrated as the Flemish community holiday, and there is a museum in the city dedicated to the battle. Kortrijk was also badly damaged in both world wars, and much of its centre was rebuilt.
The Leie river runs through town, with the medieval Broel towers guarding an old bridge, and the riverbanks have been redesigned into a pleasant walking area. The Grote Markt, with its belfry and town hall, is lined with cafés.
Riding here is about the towns rather than the roads. Flanders is flat, and the roads are busy, with cyclists everywhere; bike lanes are part of the road system, and drivers here expect you to give cyclists room. South of the city, the land begins to rise into the Flemish Ardennes around Oudenaarde and Ronse, with short, steep cobbled climbs famous from the Tour of Flanders cycle race. On a motorcycle they are fun but slippery when wet, and narrow. The landscape is green and rolling, with farms and small villages.
Kortrijk has all the services you need, including fuel, supermarkets and many restaurants. Try the local beer, and look out for Flemish dishes such as stoverij, beef stewed in beer, served with fries. Showers come in off the North Sea with little warning. Visit the béguinage early in the day, when it is quiet, and let the city wait for a while.